ARM's Cortex processor is the focus of a new licence agreement with microcontroller specialist Atmel.
The two companies have extended their existing strategic relationship with a new subscription license agreement, which means that Atmel gains access to a number of existing and future ARM Cortex processors for use in its products.
“This new agreement secures the roadmap for future members 
of our industry-leading ARM processor-based product family," said Alfredo Vadillo, Atmel’s managing director for ARM microcontrollers.
Atmel has existing licences for the ARM7TDMI, ARM926EJ-S, and ARM1176JZ-S processors, and most recently, the Cortex-M3 processor.
“The agreement with Atmel demonstrates the exceptional momentum behind the ARM Cortex family of processors,” said Eric Schorn, vice president, marketing, Processor Division, ARM.
Vadillo 
said the company capitalising on "the vast and growing support ecosystem that exists around ARM processor-based microcontrollers and embedded microprocessors".
See: TI targets ARM Cortex-M3 with Luminary Micro purchase